Given below are two statements, one is labeled as Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R).

Assertion (A): El Niño has a strong effect on marine life along the Peru coast.

Reason (R): During El Niño, upwelling of nutrient-rich cold water is weakened, which affects phytoplankton.

In light of the above statements, choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Correct option is A

Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are correct, and (R) correctly explains (A).

• El Niño is an abnormal warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean that disrupts normal oceanic and atmospheric circulation.
• Peru’s coastal marine life depends on upwelling, which brings nutrient-rich cold water from the deep ocean to the surface, supporting phytoplankton growth.
• During El Niño, upwelling weakens, leading to a decline in phytoplankton, which forms the base of the food chain. This results in a major decline in fish populations (e.g., anchovy fishery collapse along the Peru coast).
• Since marine food chains are dependent on phytoplankton, this disruption significantly impacts the Peruvian fishing industry and marine biodiversity.

Thus, (R) correctly explains (A), making option (a) the correct choice.

Information Booster:

• El Niño events reduce upwelling and increase sea surface temperatures, leading to heavy rainfall in some areas and droughts in others.
• Phytoplankton decline reduces fish populations, causing economic losses for fishing industries in Peru, Ecuador, and Chile.
• Upwelling is crucial for oceanic productivity, as it brings nutrients from deep waters to the surface, supporting marine ecosystems.
• The opposite of El Niño is La Niña, which causes stronger upwelling, cooler sea temperatures, and more productive marine life.
• ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation) is the broader climatic pattern affecting global weather and ocean currents.